News from Members

MiReKoc 10TH YEAR SYMPOSIUM
“Border, Mobility and Diversity: Old Questions, New Challenges”
20-21 November 2014
Migration Research Center at Koç University (MiReKoc), Istanbul

CALL FOR PAPERS:
We are pleased to announce that the Call for Papers is open for the up-coming international symposium, “Border, Mobility and Diversity: Old Questions, New Challenges”, organized by Migration Research Center at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Keynote Speaker

Douglas S. Massey (Princeton University)

Nermin Abadan-Unat (Boğaziçi University)

Invited Speakers

Joaquín Arango (Complutense University of Madrid), Ibrahim Awad (The American University in Cairo), Elizabeth Collett (Migration Policy Institute), Franck Düvell (University of Oxford), Hein de Haas (University of Oxford), Ahmet İçduygu (Koç University), Ayhan Kaya (Istanbul Bilgi University), Frank Kalter (University of Mannheim), Kemal Kirişci (Brookings Institution), Frank Laczko (International Organization for Migration), Eva Østergaard-Nielsen (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Ferruccio Pastore (International and European Forum for Migration Research), Rinus Penninx (University of Amsterdam), Yasemin Soysal (University of Essex), Deniz Yükseker (Koç University)

Description

The international migration symposium titled “Border, Mobility and Diversity: Old Questions, New Challenges” will take an inter-disciplinary approach to draw on the past and current state of migration studies and to determine a vision and direction for its future. It is aimed to bring together a wide range of scholars, researchers, policy makers and organizations to discuss various aspects of migration studies. Three main themes of the symposium are determined as:

Borders and Border Regimes

Borders are being defined and redefined in this global age, reflecting on the patterns and dynamics of migration. Many states today are adopting policies to facilitate the mobility of certain populations in their territories, while implementing strict border and visa regimes to regulate or restrict the movement of others. Under the current conditions, the issues of borders and irregular migration emerge as new challenges to the growing “management” rhetoric in the debate over immigration and asylum policies.

Migration and Mobility: Conceptualizing the Movement of Persons

Technological innovations in transportation and communications facilitate the potential for international migration around the world. As the movement of persons across borders increased, accelerated and diversified based on structural factors and/or individual motives, scholars began questioning the convenience of the concept of migration as a way of capturing different patterns and categories. In the current age new concepts, such as mobility have risen to prominence to better illustrate the fluidity of movements across geographies.

Diversity and Integration

Over the past decades, the concepts of diversity and integration have served as prominent research lenses through which to elaborate the consequences of migration for the local, national and international settings. These two concepts are essential for analysis, development and evaluation of migration and refugee policies. Within this context the following questions are crucial: How will policy makers maintain diversity while developing policies to integrate incoming migrants? Is it possible to move beyond the zero-sum approach on diversity and integration?

The discussions will be based on these three main themes, touching upon a wide range of topics in the field of migration studies. The conference will be hosted by Migration Research Center at Koç University (MiReKoc) in Istanbul, on the occasion of its 10^th year anniversary in the field of migration research. Established in August 2004, MiReKoc provides an institutionalized hub for migration research in Turkey, encompassing domestic, regional and global facets of migration. The two-day conference will include five roundtable sessions on migration theory, migration research, migration policy, the Turkish migration regime and migration research centers with prominent guest speakers. Moreover, a call for papers (CfP) is open to all scholars, researchers and graduate students, from various disciplines including political science, international relations, economics, sociology, anthropology, history and demography who are interested in presenting their cutting-edge research on: borders and border regimes; migration and mobility; diversity and integration.

Abstract Submission

People interested in presenting a paper are invited to send their applications to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before the due date of abstract submission. The applications should include: presentation title, abstract (of no more than 300 words), 3-4 keywords, home institution and affiliated department(s) and co-authors (if applicable). Decisions will be communicated by July 22, 2014 and submission of full papers is expected by October 31, 2014. Guidelines for full papers will be announced with the acceptance notifications. A selection of papers from the conference will be published by a reputable international publisher and will be considered for a special issue in a scholarly journal.

Abstracts Due: June 23, 2014

Acceptance Notifications: July 22, 2014

Final Paper Submission Due: October 31, 2014

For further information please visit the web page http://mirecon.ku.edu.tr and/or send email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.